Did you hear the one about the Irishman ...?

Originally produced on an RSC tour of America in 1985 and revised for a 1987 London production in 1987, 'Did You Hear the One About the Irishman ...?' is a painful love story divided by sectarianism, and punctuated by the tasteless racist jokes of an anti-Irish comedian. As both families oppose the desired marriage of a Protestant girl and a Catholic boy the play parallels scenes, doubling characters to bring together two groups impossibly divided. The young couple's brilliant optimistic hope that they will rise above the feud becomes heartbreaking as the play shows that the perpetuation of conflict is more powerful than either of them.